Many motor vehicles, and in particular the sport/utility type vehicles, are provided with seat assemblies in the rear passenger compartment. Often, these seat assemblies are designed to fold or collapse to a non-use stowed position for increased cargo carrying capacity. In one such variation, the seat cushion portion of the seat assembly is hinged to the floor adjacent its forward edge so that it folds forwardly to a vertical stowed position. Similarly, the backrest cushion portion of the seat assembly is hinged to the floor so that it folds forwardly to a horizontal stowed position next to the seat cushion, thus forming a flat cargo receiving surface over its backside.
Of particular concern is the ease with which a person can manipulate the seat and backrest cushions to move the seat assembly between its normal use and stowed positions, while maintaining the highest levels of safety. The prior art has taught to provide a manual release latch for unlocking the seat and backrest cushions from their normal use positions. For example, reference may be had to U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,250 to Weinich, issued Nov. 7, 1978. Such manual release levers are cumbersome to operate, especially in the dark or in cold weather, and also when the person is unfamiliar with the seat assembly. Furthermore, such release lever mechanisms tend to add significantly to the cost of the seat assembly because they must be linked to both ends of the seat assembly.
The prior art U.S. Pat. No. 3,001,820 to Morphew, issued Sept. 26, 1961, teaches that the seat cushion and backrest cushion can be linked together without a manual release lever, thus causing the backrest and seat cushions to move in concert toward the stowed position. This arrangement, however, has several drawbacks. Namely, the seat assembly must be dimensioned to allow both cushions to move at the same time. Also, this design is more cumbersome to move to and from its stowed position because both seat and backrest cushions are moved at the same time. Furthermore, there is a potential safety concern that an obstruction below the seat cushion may prevent the backrest cushion from securely latching in place when the seat assembly is moved back to its normal use position.